Oct 29: A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% of Likely U.S. Voters think the president’s views are closest to their own when it comes to the major issues facing the country. But just as many (42%) say their views come closest to those of the average Tea Party member instead. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure.

SB: I didn't say NO racism. What I'm saying is that racism isn't part of how the vast majority of consevatives think.

And I said that racism is how the vast majority of conservatives think? Of course not.

SB: "It was politics mixed with some genuine questions about the most powerful man in the world that have never been answered. Regarding the birth question, you know as well as I do that this was encouraged by the Obama campaign in order to have easy ammunition to call their detractors racist and crazy. In general, it was no more racist than the questions about McCain's birth in the Panama Canal zone or now Ted Cruz's birth in Canada. Finally, if you really beleive that to question the legitimacy of Obama's birth is by definition racist then you must also believe that Hillary Clinton is a racist because it was her campaign that first brought it up."

1. The fact that Hillary Clinton's campaign started it does not excuse anyone else who believed it. What a silly position to take.

2. Obama "encouraged it"? He released a short form and pointed to announcements of live birth. Witnesses also came forward.

Birtherism persisted for years after. Unlike you, I'm not going to blame OBama for the existence of birthers demanding his long form.

He didn't make them birthers by not immediately releasing his long form upon their slanderous and racially questionable demands.

SB: I know that the black community on the whole has fared quite poorly under the policies and programs that have been promoted and supported by Democrats. Do you disagree"

Oh, no, don't tap-dance over to how well the programs are or are not working. First of all, while you can poitn to flaws in some programs, you can't say how things would be without them.

Nevermind that just about every, if not every, accused liberal here AGREES with entitlement reform to cut out fraud and waste. But as pinkie liked to point out, we can't very well pass the laws ourselves, so the most we can do about it now is talk about it here and talk to representatives and hope.

But let's not backtrack. I was talking about how you claims that Democrats were either intentionally or unintentionally racist because you think their policies failed:

SB: Let's call it "results based racism." Whether intentional or not these "misguided" policies have been disasterous for the majority of the black community. And yet there is no introspection, no suggestion from the left that perhaps these policies are failing, that something needs to change. No, what we see instead is the scapegoating of a bunch of people who, based on the evidence, on the whole want everyone in this nation to succeed regardless of their skin color.

So, what am I to believe? I know that the Democrats are lying about racism on the right because I am part of the right and I know what we believe. So, if they can do that instead of honestly working with the right to resolve differences and fix the problems that their policies have created then why shouldn't I believe that there is a sub-current of racism in their actions?

Unintentional racism? Due to passing policies that end up not fixing everything perfectly?

Racism:

noun1. abeliefor doctrine that inherent differences among the various humanracesdetermine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving theidea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.2. a policy, system of government,etc.,based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination. 3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

While there's no way to put a number of it, I can't see how anyone can insist that racism wasn't at all a motivation.

40% of Rs and something like 20% of Ds polled said they didn't think Obama was born in the U.S. Another 28% of Rs and X% of Ds said they "weren't sure."

Obama was the first black president. No other president has had to endure this.

There was NO reason for continuing doubt. There was NO reason to demand the long form.

Birtherism = slander, with a racial motivation for some amount of those people.